Feed bin monitoring system and method

ABSTRACT

A bin monitoring system functions both as a device for lifting the bin and as a weighing system for monitoring or measuring the level of feed in a feed bin. Various embodiments having a suspended load cell and methods of retrofitting the bin monitoring system to existing bins are provided. Further, the accuracy provided by various embodiments enables one to accurately predict when the feed bin will be empty. Thus, the feed mill can be aware of anticipated needs days in advance, allowing the feed mill to better optimize its scheduling and deliveries.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is related to and claims priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/913,961 filed Apr. 25, 2007entitled FEED BIN MONITORING SYSTEM AND METHOD, the disclosure of whichis hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL BACKGROUND

The disclosure relates generally to feed bin monitors and methods ofinstalling feed bin monitors. More particularly, the disclosure relatesto feed bin monitors having a suspended load cell.

BACKGROUND

Many animal finishing facilities have bulk bins and automated feeddelivery systems. In theory, these bins and delivery systems areintended to assure an uninterrupted flow of feed to the feeder. Inreality, however, various known delivery systems result in varyingdisruptions of feed availability, which may have very seriousconsequences. For example, out-of-feed events can cause animal healthproblems, such as ulcers, particularly in pigs. Other potential healthproblems include, for example, cannibalistic tail biting and HemorrhagicBowel Syndrome, which is often fatal to the animal. Moreover, it isbelieved that even one out-of-feed event can have a prolonged negativeeffect on weight gain. Paid dividends can be directly affected as aresult.

Out-of-feed events can be caused by a variety of causes. One notablecause is human error. Human errors are generally associated with emptybins, which occur when feed is not ordered, prepared, and delivered in atimely manner. Other causes of out-of-feed events include, for example,bridging and rat-holing of the feed. In these cases, the feed stillremains in the bin, but does not flow to the delivery or auger system.As a result, even though feed is present in the bin, it is not deliveredto the animals. When this occurs, the feed delivery system may shut downdue to its extended run timers. No feed is then delivered until the feeddelivery system is manually reset. If producers are not closelymonitoring the feed delivery system, animals can be without feed forextended periods of time. While out-of-feed events can be prevented, inpractice, they occur quite often.

One method of preventing out-of-feed events involves personally checkingeach bin by climbing up a ladder to the top of the bin and visuallynoting and monitoring the level of the bin. This method islabor-intensive and can be quite dangerous, especially in frigid, icy,or wet weather. To save time and avoid safety risks associated withclimbing to the top of the bin, some workers have resorted to physicallyhitting the bin to estimate the level of the feed by listening to thesound reverberation. This method, however, does not provide the producerwith very accurate information. It is also still labor-intensive becausethe worker has to personally check each individual bin. Further, ascompared to the past, it is now more common for farms to be isolatedfrom the workers. As a result, it takes more effort to check and monitorthe feed systems. Therefore, the feed bins often are not checkedfrequently enough to prevent out-of-feed events because it takes toomuch time to check the bins, and rush orders are often not fulfilledquickly enough.

Accordingly, electronic monitors have been devised to monitor feedlevels. These known electronic monitors are equipped with compressionload cells positioned on a concrete slab underneath the bin legs. Theload cells measure the amount of the feed in the bin and are able totrack the level and the changes in the feed weight, for example, fromdeliveries and consumption. Some of these known electronic monitors canmake feed level data available to producers by telephone. Many producerschoose not to implement these known systems, however, because they arecostly and are difficult to retrofit to existing bins. Separate jacks orcranes are required so that the bin legs can be raised approximately 3-4inches off of the concrete slab. Raising the bin disrupts theconnections between the bins and the conveyor pipes that carry the feedfrom the bin to the feeding point. Known electronic feed bin monitorscan also be unreliable because they are often susceptible to adverseaffects on the accuracy of their measurements due to ice and foreignmaterial under the supporting mechanisms. These supporting mechanismsinclude foot pads that are bolted to the concrete slab beneath the bin.Bolting the foot pads to the concrete slab introduces torques that cantwist the load cell system enough to produce false readings at times.

Some other known systems are sonar or ultrasound based. One drawback ofsuch systems is that they only report a feed level, not weight. As aresult, these systems have difficulty maintaining accuracy when, forexample, there is bridging or rat-holing of feed, there are significantchanges in feed density, or there are temperature variations. All ofthese events can alter the correlation between feed level and the trueamount or weight of feed. Known sonar or ultrasound based systems canalso only provide level monitoring. Thus, they cannot accurately measurefeed delivered or consumed by weight. The present invention addressesproblems associated with the related art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

According to various example embodiments, a bin monitoring systemfunctions both as a device for lifting the bin and as a weighing systemfor monitoring or measuring the level of feed in a feed bin. Variousembodiments having a suspended load cell and methods of retrofitting thebin monitoring system to existing bins are provided. Further, theaccuracy provided by various embodiments enables one to accuratelypredict when the feed bin will be empty. Thus, the feed mill can beaware of anticipated needs days in advance, allowing the feed mill tobetter optimize its scheduling and deliveries.

One embodiment is directed to a feed bin monitoring system that has asuspended load cell that accurately measures the amount of feed goinginto and out of a feed bin having bin legs that support the bin above afoundation. The feed bin monitoring system of this embodiment canquickly detect if no feed is being consumed by the animals due to, forexample, bridging of the feed in the bin. The feed bin monitoring systemincludes a frame configured to be securable to the foundation. A loadcell is secured to the frame and is configured to measure a weight ofthe bin. A lifting mechanism is arranged to selectively lift the loadcell. Another aspect of the invention is directed to a method ofmonitoring an amount of feed in a feed bin having a plurality of binlegs by operatively connecting a feed bin monitor to one of the bin legsand transmitting data collected from the load cell to a display device.

Another aspect of this invention is directed to a method of installing abin monitoring system, such as described above, to a leg of a feed bin.The method generally includes the steps of securing the bin monitoringsystem to at least one of the bin legs and using a bolt to raise the binlegs preferably no more than approximately ½″ above the ground, thusfacilitating retrofitting of existing bins.

Various embodiments may provide certain advantages. For instance, feedlevels can be monitored easily and accurately so that out-of-feed eventscan be significantly reduced. Also, feeding animals with feed binsequipped with automatic bin monitoring systems reduces the need forexpedited orders and allows feed producers to predict production needsin advance. Feed throughput may be improved, and feed transportationcosts may be reduced. Further, the bin monitoring systems describedherein can be retrofitted to existing bins easily and inexpensively,thereby reducing implementation costs.

Additional objects, advantages, and features will become apparent fromthe following description and the claims that follow, considered inconjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a front plan view of an embodiment of a bin monitoringsystem.

FIG. 1B is a front view of the bin monitoring system similar to that ofFIG. 1A, wherein the bin monitoring system is operatively attached to abin leg.

FIG. 1C is an enlarged, partial, perspective view of the bin monitoringsystem illustrated in FIG. 1B.

FIG. 1D is a rear view of the bin monitoring system of FIGS. 1B-1Coperatively connected to the bin leg.

FIG. 2A is a side view of the bin monitoring system of FIG. 1A.

FIG. 2B is another side view of the bin monitoring system similar tothat of FIGS. 1B-1D, wherein the bin monitoring system is operativelyattached to the bin leg.

FIG. 3A is a front view of a frame of the bin monitoring system of FIG.1A illustrating optional folding of the frame.

FIG. 3B is a plan view of the completed frame of FIG. 3A.

FIG. 3C is a side view of the frame of FIG. 3B.

FIG. 4A is a plan view of a channel bracket of the bin monitoring systemof FIG. 1A.

FIG. 4B is front view of the folded channel bracket of FIG. 4A.

FIG. 4C is a side view of the completed channel bracket of FIG. 4B.

FIG. 5A is a top view of a load block of the bin monitoring system ofFIG. 1A.

FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional, side view of the load block of FIG. 5A.

FIG. 6 is a view of a bin monitoring system attached to each leg of twoadjacent bins according to another embodiment.

FIG. 7 illustrates another embodiment in which the channel bracket ofFIG. 1A is replaced with a chain link suspension.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following description of various embodiments implemented in thecontext of monitoring the volume or weight of feed bins and installingsuch monitoring systems is to be construed by way of illustration ratherthan limitation. This description is not intended to limit the inventionor its applications or uses. For example, while various embodiments aredescribed as being implemented in this context, it will be appreciatedthat the principles of the disclosure are applicable to otherenvironments, as will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art.

In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of various embodiments. Itwill be apparent to one skilled in the art that some embodiments may bepracticed without some or all of these specific details. In otherinstances, well known components and process steps have not beendescribed in detail.

Embodiments of the bin monitoring system are illustrated in FIGS. 1A-6.Referring now in particular to FIGS. 1A-3C and 6, a bin monitoringsystem 10 includes a frame 12. In some embodiments, the frame 12 isA-shaped and has a top 14 and two supports 20 a and 20 b extendingdiagonally downward from the top 14. In the illustrated embodiments,each support 20 a and 20 b has a respective flange 24 a and 24 b with atleast one respective flange aperture 28 a and 28 b for anchoring theframe 12 to a foundation such as a concrete slab C, as most bins areinstalled on concrete slabs. The top 14 includes a bolt aperture 16 thatreceives a bolt 18 for securing the frame 12 to the top of a load cell50. In some embodiments, the frame 12 can be constructed of fabricatediron, as shown in FIG. 1A. Alternatively, as shown at reference numeral12′ in FIG. 7, the frame 12′ can be constructed of fabricated channeliron.

In some embodiments, the load cell 50 is implemented as an S-type loadcell for measuring the tension or changing weight of a bin B. The binmonitoring system 10 incorporates the load cell 50 to measure the weightand changes of weight of the bin B. An example implementation of theload cell 50 is disclosed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/422,910of Jaeger et al., the teachings of which are herein incorporated byreference in their entirety. In some embodiments, the load cell 50includes an electrical connection 52 that passes through an aperture 22in one of the supports 20 a and 20 b to a transmitter (not shown) suchthat data collected from the load cell 50 can be accessed via a remotelocation such as, for example, by a wired, wireless, or mobile telephoneor using a network such as the Internet.

It is further contemplated that the bin monitoring system 10 may be anelement of a larger system in which the data transmitted may be compiledwith other data, such as animal weights, so that multiple variables canbe monitored and tracked in one central location. Such a larger systemcan also include, for example, a component for generating reports, suchas a bin status report, a configuration report, an alarm settingsreport, a feed usage report, and a bin summary report. The bin statusreport may illustrate an image of a feed bin showing the current weight,alarm settings, and alarm conditions. The configuration report may listthe configuration for the setup menu, interface menu, and computer port.The alarm settings report may list the alarm settings for eachindicator. The feed usage report may list daily feed usage sorted bydate and the total feed delivered for a selected date range. The binsummary report may list the current bin weights and any alarm conditionsfor the feed bins.

Now also referring to FIGS. 4A-C, the bin monitoring system 10additionally includes a channel bracket 60 used to connect the binmonitoring system 10 to a leg L of the bin B. The channel bracket 60 maybe generally U-shaped, being deeper at the top than at the bottom, tocorrespond to the shape of the bin leg L. In some embodiments, the binmonitoring system 10 includes a limiting mechanism 66 to restrict theupward movement of the channel bracket 60. The limiting mechanism 66prevents the bin B from lifting and blowing over when, for example,there is a gust of wind and the bin B is empty. As shown, the limitingmechanism 66 may be a stop strap having bolt apertures 68 for use with abolt 69 to secure the strap to the frame 12 as shown in FIGS. 1A-1C. Thechannel bracket 60 further includes a slot 62 for supporting a loadblock 70 and is deep enough such that when the channel bracket 60 isbolted to the bin leg L and the frame 12 is secured to the concrete slabC, the channel bracket 60 extends beyond the stop strap 66, allowing itto contact and be restricted by the stop strap 66 when the bin B islifted too high. This configuration is also illustrated in FIG. 2A. Inalternative embodiments, the channel bracket 60 may be replaced with achain link suspension 80 attached to a clevis 82, as shown in FIG. 7, oranother similar system.

Now further referring to FIGS. 5A-5B, as previously mentioned, the binmonitoring system 10 further includes the load block 70, which isreceived within the slot 62 of the channel bracket 60 and is supportedby the channel bracket 60 until the bracket 60 is elevated . The loadblock 70 is illustrated in FIGS. 5A-5B as having a bolt aperture 72. Theload block 70 is placed in the slot 62 of the channel bracket 60. A bolt60 is then placed through a bolt aperture 72 of the load block 70 andthreaded into the load cell 50. The load block 70 can move within theslot 62. This configuration allows for some misalignment of the channelbracket 60.

A typical feed bin has 4, 6, or 8 generally U-shaped legs. The binmonitoring system 10 may be placed alongside each leg L and bolted tothe concrete slab C with an anchor bolt 30 through two of the flangeapertures 28 a and 28 b. Two more bolts 65 may be pressed through thebolt holes 64 of the channel bracket 60 to connect the bin monitoringsystem 10 to the bin leg L.

As described above, the bin monitoring system 10 includes the bolt 18,which secures the load cell 50 to the frame 12. According to variousembodiments, the bolt 18 also serves as a jack to lift and support theload cell 50 when the load cell 50 is suspended off of the concrete slabC. In some embodiments, the bin monitoring system 10 jacks up the bin Bno higher than about 0.75 inches, preferably no higher than about 0.5inches above the concrete slab C. Because installing the bin monitoringsystem 10 does not require the bin B to be significantly lifted,existing bins may be retrofitted without having to empty the bin ordisconnect flex augers and associated piping.

To install the bin monitoring system 10 according to one example method,the load cell 50, frame 12, and limiting mechanism 66 are operativelyconnected to one another. The footpads are then disconnected from thebin legs L. Next, two 0.5 inch holes are drilled into the bin legs L forthe channel bracket 60. In the next step, the channel bracket 60 isfirst mounted to the leg L such that any space in between the channelbracket 60 and the leg L is reduced. Once the channel bracket 60 isattached to the leg L, the frame 12 is aligned to the bin leg L and issecured with concrete anchor bolts 30. The channel bracket 60 isconnected to a threaded load cell 50 and a bolt 40 that is received inthe channel bracket 60 and that functions as a jack. As the bolt 40 isrotated, e.g., seven times, the load cell 50 is moved upwards andcorrespondingly moves the bin leg L upwards. In the next step, a summingbox or the transmitter (not shown) is mounted to the bin B and isoperatively connected to the load cells 50. Next, the summing box can bewired to the bin monitoring system 10. Next, wiring to the load cell 50is secured to the bin support frame, e.g., using one or more cable ties.The bin monitoring system 10 is then connected to the on-site network toenable communication with a remote monitoring system. Next, three of thebin legs L are electrically grounded above each frame using the anchorbolts.

As described above, the bin monitoring system 10 can be used todetermine how much feed enters and exits a feed bin. In this way, thebin monitoring system 10 facilitates the determination of when more feedshould be ordered. In addition, the bin monitoring system 10 facilitatesverifying how much feed is actually delivered when the bins are refilledand how much is being consumed. As a result, potential out-of-feedevents can be monitored, animal performance based on feed consumptioncan be correlated, and future bin levels can be predicted accurately.

As demonstrated by the foregoing discussion, various embodiments mayprovide certain benefits. For instance, the bin monitoring system 10 cangreatly reduce monitoring costs. The required labor can be reducedbecause multiple bin feed levels can be quickly, simultaneously, andaccurately monitored at a central location, as compared with theconventional approach of visually inspecting each bin individually.Safety hazards can also be reduced because workers do not need to climbfeed bins to inspect them.

Additionally, logistical savings can be realized by the bin monitoringsystem 10. Typically, feed mills have large demands on Mondays andFridays. On these days, the mills run over capacity and often need topay overtime to drivers and milling employees to fill tanks for theweekend or to catch up on empty tanks on Mondays. On Tuesdays,Wednesdays, and Thursdays, the mills run under capacity. The binmonitoring system 10 allows the feed mill to level its production flowout over the week by delivering feed early to some bins and just-in-timeto others. Accurate monitoring of feed bins allows producers to betterpredict and schedule when they will need to replenish the feed bins,which in turn will reduce the amount of expedited orders and allow thefeed mill to plan their production. By allowing the feed mill to betterplan its production, the feed mill can schedule the bottlenecks to themaximum increasing throughput. Overtime is saved in both the feed milland the trucking, and the incidence of empty compartments or “air tons”can be reduced. Rush orders can be eliminated by better planning, thusgreatly reducing the frequency of expedited orders and the associatedexpense.

It will be understood by those who practice the embodiments describedherein and those skilled in the art that various modifications andimprovements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe disclosed embodiments. The scope of protection afforded is to bedetermined solely by the claims and by the breadth of interpretationallowed by law.

1. A bin monitoring system for operative attachment to a bin leg of abin, the bin having a weight and a plurality of bin legs that supportthe bin above a foundation, the bin monitoring system comprising: aframe configured to be securable to the foundation; a load cellconfigured to measure a weight of the bin; a lifting mechanism carriedby the frame and arranged to selectively lift the load cell; and aconnector arranged to be connectable to one of the bin legs andconnected to the load cell; wherein the connector comprises a channelbracket arranged to be connected to one of the bin legs, the channelbracket defining a slot, and wherein the bin monitoring system furthercomprises a load block received in the slot defined by the channelbracket and supporting the channel bracket when the load cell is lifted.2. The bin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein a bolt is received inthe load block and is arranged to move the load block and the said onebin leg upward when the bolt is rotated.
 3. The bin monitoring system ofclaim 1, wherein the channel bracket is generally U-shaped.
 4. The binmonitoring system of claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a limitingmechanism arranged to restrict upward movement of the channel bracket.5. The bin monitoring system of claim 4, wherein the limiting mechanismcomprises a strap secured to the frame.
 6. The bin monitoring system ofclaim 1, wherein the connector comprises a chain link suspension.
 7. Thebin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the lifting mechanism includesa bolt; wherein the frame defines a frame aperture and the bolt extendsthrough the frame aperture and is threaded into the load cell.
 8. Thebin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the frame is A-shaped and hasa top and two supports extending diagonally from the top.
 9. The binmonitoring system of claim 1, wherein the load cell is an S-type loadcell.
 10. The bin monitoring system of claim 1, wherein the load cell iselectrically connected to a transmitter for providing data collectedfrom the load cell.
 11. The bin monitoring system of claim 1, whereinthe lifting mechanism comprises a bolt received in a frame apertureformed in the frame, the bolt arranged to secure the load cell to theframe and to lift and support the load cell when the bolt is rotated.12. A bin monitoring system useable with a bin having a weight and aplurality of bin legs that support the bin above a foundation, each binleg having a bottom, the bin monitoring system comprising: a frameconfigured to be securable to the foundation adjacent a bin leg; a loadcell carried by the frame and operatively positioned to have the weightof the bin applied to the load cell; and a mechanical connector attachedto the load cell and attachable to the adjacent bin leg and constructedand arranged to suspend the bottom of the bin leg at an elevation belowthe load cell.
 13. The bin monitoring system of claim 12, wherein theload cell is an S-type load cell.
 14. The bin monitoring system of claim12, wherein: the load cell includes a first threaded aperture and afirst threaded bolt; the frame includes a frame aperture adjacent thefirst threaded aperture; and the first threaded bolt extending throughthe frame aperture and threadably engaging the first threaded aperturein the load cell to join the load cell to the frame and to lift andsupport the load cell when the first threaded bolt is rotated.
 15. Thebin monitoring system of claim 14, wherein the frame has an A-frameconfiguration with a top and a pair of legs, the frame aperture being atthe top of the frame and the legs of the A-frame attachable to thefoundation.
 16. The bin monitoring system of claim 12, wherein the loadcell includes a second threaded bolt and the load cell includes a secondthreaded aperture to receive the second threaded bolt to join themechanical connector to the load cell.
 17. The bin monitoring system ofclaim 16, wherein the second threaded bolt is arranged to lift andsupport the mechanical connector when the second threaded bolt isrotated.
 18. The bin monitoring system of claim 16, wherein the binmonitoring system is arranged and configured such that, in operation,the load cell is in tension.
 19. The bin monitoring system of claim 16,further comprising a limiting mechanism to limit upward movement of themechanical connector with respect to the frame.
 20. The bin monitoringsystem of claim 16, wherein the mechanical connector is constructed andarranged to lift the bin leg relative to the foundation.
 21. A binmonitoring system useable with a bin having a weight and a plurality ofbin legs that support the bin above a foundation, each bin leg having abottom, the bin monitoring system comprising: a frame configured to besecurable to the foundation adjacent a bin leg; a load cell having anupper end and a lower end, the upper end of the load cell being carriedby the frame; and a mechanical connector attached to the lower end ofthe load cell and attachable to the adjacent bin leg to suspend thebottom of the adjacent bin leg at an elevation below the lower end ofthe load cell.
 22. The bin monitoring system of claim 21, wherein theload cell is an S-type load cell.
 23. The bin monitoring system of claim21, wherein: the load cell includes a first threaded aperture and afirst threaded bolt; the frame includes a frame aperture adjacent thefirst threaded aperture; and the first threaded bolt extending throughthe frame aperture and threadably engaging the first threaded aperturein the load cell to join the load cell to the frame and to lift andsupport the load cell when the first threaded bolt is rotated.
 24. Thebin monitoring system of claim 23, wherein the frame has an A-frameconfiguration with a top and a pair of legs, the frame aperture being atthe top of the frame and the legs of the A-frame attachable to thefoundation.
 25. The bin monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the loadcell includes a second threaded bolt and the load cell includes a secondthreaded aperture to receive the second threaded bolt to join themechanical connector to the load cell.
 26. The bin monitoring system ofclaim 25, wherein the second threaded bolt is arranged to lift andsupport the mechanical connector when the second threaded bolt isrotated.
 27. The bin monitoring system of claim 21, wherein the binmonitoring system is arranged and configured such that, in operation,the load cell is in tension.
 28. The bin monitoring system of claim 21,further comprising a limiting mechanism to limit upward movement of themechanical connector with respect to the frame.